Darrell Campbell and Jeammie Preston are accused of forcing children to rob goods from retailers in Southern California.
Riverside County Sheriff's Office

The duo’s robbery spree went on for months in cities across Southern California, according to authorities.

But they weren’t the ones doing the heavy lifting.

Darrell Campbell, 32, would walk through major retail stores with children and point to merchandise he wanted the kids to steal, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. Then the kids would cart the stolen goods out of the store, where Jeammie Preston, 32, was waiting in their getaway car, deputies said.

Campbell would pull out a knife to threaten stores’ security officers as the children left with the stolen items, deputies said. The children were family members of the pair, Patch reports.

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Campbell and Preston were arrested on July 12 in Moreno Valley, the town east of Los Angeles where the couple lives, according to the sheriff’s office. Three children were taken into Child Protective Services custody at the time.

Moreno Valley police began investigating the string of robberies in June, according to the sheriff’s office. But the crimes had been going on much longer — and the pair had struck well beyond Moreno Valley, deputies said.

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